How it Happened and a Tape
by Call me Mad
Summary: Maddie and Jack Fenton decide that it is time to go through some old surveillance tapes. What wonders shall they come across? IN THE PROCESS OF EDITING
1. Chapter 1

**How it Happened and a Tape**

A _Danny Phantom_ short story set before "Phantom Planet."

Summary: Maddie and Jack Fenton decide that it is time to go through some old surveillance tapes. What wonders shall they come across?

**Chapter 1**

The three fourteen-year-olds entered the room. It was an odd room that could only be described as a laboratory. At first glance the work tables placed against the walls of the room appeared to be covered in clutter and random pieces of metal. There was even a Mother's Day mug lost somewhere in the pile. What that was doing there will remain forever a mystery. Though, upon closer examination you would find that the clutter and metal were actually inventions. From what could be told by their unfinished state the majority of them seemed to be weapons (mainly guns). This seemed to be the last place for children, but alas, the raven haired boy led his two friends over to the biggest invention in the room. It looked to be a portal of sorts. It was roughly built to fit into a hole in the far wall, and there were little wires and cables sticking out everywhere so it didn't appear to be done.

From the boy's countenance it was obvious that he wasn't comfortable being down there. Whether that was from fear of ridicule or nervousness of all the weapons we may never know. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck before speaking.

"Okay, here it is: the wonderfully _broken_ portal to another dimension. Behold!" The boy said sarcastically with a dramatic wave of his hands.

His African-American friend, Tucker, looked up from his PDA and rolled his eyes, "Dude, your parents are nuts."

The dude in question nodded his head in agreement. It was then that the dark haired girl piped up, "So what? This is cool. Come on, Danny, let's check it out."

Danny rolled his eyes and replied flatly, "It's broken, Sam."

Sam ignored her friend and stepped closer to examine the machine. She had a thoughtful look on her pale face. Now, with Sam, these looks can either mean a fun time or trouble for everyone, usually the latter one.

"Come on man. Just go in and check it out. If you do, lunch'll be on me," Tucker urged as he slipped the PDA into one of the many pockets of his cargo pants.

"No."

"Come on, Danny, aren't you curious as to what's just beyond that portal?" Sam turned from the broken portal and took a stepped closer to her reluctant friend, "Please?"

At Sam's pleas Danny melted like ice in her hand. "Fine, but only because I'm hungry and broke."

Tucker laughed, "Of course you do it for her. You guys are such lovebirds."

The two teens in question turned bright red and yelled at the same time with their fists clenched at their sides, "We are not lovebirds!"

"_Suuuuuure_ you aren't," Sam punched Tucker on the shoulder, "Ow!"

Danny rolled his eyes as Tucker glared at Sam and straightened his red barrette. Sam then proceeded to stick her tongue out at the computer geek. As if knowing this would end in a fight, Danny walked over to the closet where his parents kept the extra jumpsuits. The boy pulled out a mainly white one with black trimmings in his size, and put it on. He finished zipping it up when Sam walked over to him and put a hand on his chest.

"Wait a minute. You can't walk around with _that_ on your chest," she said as she pulled a grinning picture of Danny's father, Jack Fenton, off the suit.

Danny then gave his goofy grin, which caused Sam's face to heat up, "Thanks Sammy."

Sam, realizing she still had her hand on his chest, pushed Danny towards the portal and turned to hide her blush, "Just go. And _don't_ call me Sammy!"

Danny continued to walk forward. A few feet from the entrance to the portal he turned and looked back at his friends with an uncertain expression. The two teenagers gave him thumbs up and encouraging nods from the safety of the other side of the lab. Danny turned back to the entrance and took a deep breath. As he let out his air he entered. He walked a few feet in and shivered. You could even see his breath! How is that since it was a normal temperature in the lab itself? He walked a few more feet, and it was dark enough that you almost couldn't see him. It was almost as if the hole in the wall that was trying to pass as a portal was isolated from the rest of the room, like it was in a whole different world.

Although it was dark there was still enough light to see the teenager stumble and brace himself against the wall. This was a mistake, but how could he have known this? It's not as if the on button was inside, right? Wrong, that's exactly where that particular button was. As if someone had made everything go in slow motion, Danny's hand hit the button. It sank too slowly until it was flat against the wall. There was a second when the raven haired teenager looked in confusion to see what his hand had hit when the lights started up.

It started as a small green swirl in the very back of the tunnel. It quickly built to a blinding wall of pure light and energy. Within the blink of an eye the neon green light washed over Danny. It was clear that he was in pain as he gave a blood curdling scream that made those present want to curl up in their beds and never come out.

Sam rushed to the now swirling green entrance despite Tucker's protests. Both teenagers stood with their mouths open wide as their friend stumbled out with green mist trailing behind him. Danny spared one last pained glance at his friends before fainting. Sam dropped to her knees and moved the boy's head to her lap as Tucker rushed forward. It was then that they noticed the changes.

The most noticeable difference was that his normally onyx colored hair was snow white. It stuck up all over his head as if he had just been electrocuted (which he had). With a trembling hand Sam smoothed the hair off his ice cold forehead fore head. He was too cold to be alive. Sam snatched he hand away as Danny turned his head slightly before blinking up at her. Although it was a quick blink, it was clear that his normally beautiful ice blue eyes were now a shocking toxic green. Another change was the suit. Somehow the colors had been switched around so that the suit was mainly black with white trimmings.

Then something even stranger happened.

Two blinding white rings appeared around Danny's waist. Sam and Tucker watched in amazement as one ring traveled down the length of his body while the other moved towards his head. In their places were his signature jeans and white t-shirt with a red circle in the middle. When the rings disappeared Danny Fenton had changed back to his normal black haired and blue eyed self.

Two years after this event had happened Maddie and Jack Fenton were going over the security tapes in the Op Center to search for proof that the known ghost, Danny Phantom, had been stealing their inventions. So far they had seen all the videos of them working on the Fenton Ghost Portal. They soon came to the tape from the day their son, Daniel, had an accident in the lab.

The two parents sat in their chairs stunned. Their own son was Danny Phantom? How could this be? Danny couldn't be an evil ghost bent on taking over the world. It's just not possible! First of all he was alive! Or….was he? Their equipment did take a liking to the boy, but – he couldn't be dead, and he couldn't be Phantom. It must be some sort of trick.

The two scientists were shaken from their thoughts by a cheerful call from downstairs. "Mom, Dad, I'm home!"

The two adults looked at each other. The red haired female then answered her son's call, "Danny, could you come up here for a minute? There's something we need to discuss with you."


	2. Chapter 2

Yes, I decided to continue. I think that if I didn't at this point then people might hunt me down. Sorry it's so short, but I couldn't think of a good place to end it. Enjoy!

**How it Happened and a Tape**

**Chapter 2**

Sixteen-year-old Danny Fenton had just entered the usually messy kitchen when he heard his mother call for him. He dropped his worn out purple book bag at the cluttered kitchen table before turning and running up the stairs. The teenager climbed the ladder into the Op Center, and saw both of his parents sitting on a worn out, thread bare couch staring blankly at the ancient television.

"Yeah Mom?" he asked breathlessly. He was hoping that the two scientists had not found out about his 'D' in English. They would not be happy, and he would most likely be ground for a week when they did find out.

As if to add to his confusion, Maddie just pointed wordlessly at the TV screen.

Danny scratched his head. "The TV? What about it?" he asked in confusion.

"Not the TV, Son," Jack said, running a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair, "What's inside it. You mother and I were going through some old security tapes. We found a particularly interesting one that happened about two years ago. Ringing any bells?"

Danny's skin was beginning to resemble chalk. "Oh…he he….that tape. You see, about that….I got nothing."

"Would you care to explain?" Maddie interrogated, tapping her foot impatiently and wincing at her harsh tones.

"Well, I, uh, guess you know that I'm Danny Phantom then."Danny voiced unnecessarily as he rubbed the back of his head.

Jack and Maddie noticeably deflated. Now that it was confirmed, the magnitude of this situation was hitting them dead on.

"Yes, now we do know of you being Danny Phantom. But why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you. We could have fixed you." Maddie said sadly, her violet eyes lowered to her feet. She couldn't meet her son's eyes. She knew that if she looked at him she would only see a ghostly menace that she had devoted herself to killing. Maddie felt a chill that went bone deep. How could she have almost killed her own son? The fact that she didn't know was no excuse. She should have known. He was her son for crying out loud! Well, if he was her son then why did she feel so frightened by his presence? The answer was that this was not the same son she thought she had. Apparently he hadn't been that son since he was fourteen. That thought alone made her want to curl up and cry.

Danny's eyes flashed a furious green that seemed to be a shadow of the phantom inside of him at his mother's words, "Fix me? Fix me! As if I'm just some toy? Just some stupid science experiment that didn't go quite as planned? I don't want to be fixed! I like myself just the way I am. I've been this way too long, and not only would it probably be physically painful but emotionally, too!" Realizing that he was beginning to sound like Jazz, he turned on his heel and walked out the door. He didn't pause in his steps as he jumped from the top of the ladder and stomped down the stairs, all the while wiping angry tears from his eyes.

The two distraught parents winced as they heard the front door slam shut. Maddie leaned on her husband and let searing tears roll down her cheeks. Jack wrapped his long arms around the woman and looked sadly at the trap door in the floor that his son had just disappeared through. That had defiantly _not_ gone as planned.

**That is only slightly longer than the first time I put this chapter up but _I _think it's better. Tell me what you think! I really want to know!**

**Edit Date: 4/2/10**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, here's chapter three. This has been a fun story to write even though I'm not usually very good at writing in third person. I would like to thank all those that have reviewed and urged me to continue.**

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**Disclaimer: Let's see...what do I own...*looks around room* Oh! I own that-No, my mom bought that for me. Darn. Anyway, I obviously do not own Danny Phantom or anything else you might recognize. I'm just borrowing the characters and I will possibly give them back when I'm done. Possibly.**

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**Chapter 3**

Danny slammed the front door so hard that it seemed to rattle the whole house. He stormed down the cracked side walk in the direction of Sam's house.

The raven haired teen sighed and put his hands in his pockets. He let his pitch black hair fall into his face as he mulled things over.

Okay, so _maybe_ he over reacted just a little bit, but come on! How can they just spring something like that on him and expect him not to freak out? And then when his Mom said they could have "fixed" him didn't they realize that he may like the way he is? After all, he had been this way for two years, and it would be just flat out strange to go back. For a moment the troubled teen imagined what it would be like to go back to being just a normal kid. Sometimes he thinks to himself that it might have been better if he had never became Danny Phantom, but then he thinks of all the good times he'd had as a half ghost: flying with his friends, playing pranks on Dash, flying with Sam, erm…..playing pranks on Dash…..

But no, of course they hadn't realized that he might want to be this way. They were ghost hunters after all, and to them he was probably just another lousy ghost.

Danny took his hands out of his pockets, and blew his messy hair out of his eyes as he neared Sam's house. He barely succeeded in not stomping up the stairs and knocking the door down. Just barely.

He took a deep breath and rang the door bell. Danny waited as he heard the chimes echo around the mansion. Finally, he heard a yell from inside.

"Samantha! Could you get the door, darling?"

"Mother, my name is Sam not Samantha! Besides, I'm wearing pink!"

Danny chuckled. That was so Sam. The teen heard the clatter of high heels on marble floor. He barely had time to compose himself before Mrs. Manson opened the door with an air of annoyance.

"We are not interested in anything you are selling," the woman said in a polite, yet cold, voice.

Danny cleared his throat before speaking, "Actually, I'm here to see Sam. I'm Danny, you know that kid that Sam's known since first grade?"

"Oh, you," Mrs. Manson had a look on her face as if she were smelling something foul, "I'm sorry, but we are about to leave for a party. Don't bother coming back later." With that she firmly shut the door right in Danny's disappointed face.

From inside Danny heard Sam asking her mom who it was, and her mom replying that it was no one worth their attention. With a sinking heart, Danny huffed down the stairs and headed in the direction of Tucker's house. Hopefully the techno geek would be of some use.

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Danny arrived at the front stairs of Tucker's modest home to see that there was no car in the driveway and no lights on in the house. He stood on the sidewalk in front of the house for a moment with his mind blank. Tuck was his last hope and he sure as heck wasn't heading back home. If he had been thinking rationally he might have realized that he could have called his friend, since the Tucker always had some sort of gizmo on his person. That was only if he was thinking rationally, though, and at the moment, of course, he was not.

Danny sighed when he remembered that his sister was at the library. He turned once again away from the house of a friend, and headed in the direction of Amity Park's own library.

He was sure that Jazz would know what to do. She had to.

**Edite Date: 5/30/10**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, apparently I am a really slow updater. I had a slight writer's block and I have a huge project due Thursday that I am still not quite done with yet. I wasn't all to happy with this chapter but maybe you'll think differently.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Danny Phantom would I be on _Fan_fiction?**

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Chapter 4

"Try talking to them."

"But Jazz! They hate me now. Besides, Mom wants to 'fix' me and I sure as hell don't want to be fixed."

The older teenager sighed, "Fine, I'll talk to them," Danny's face broke out in a sunny grin, "But," grin gone, "You have to talk to them after I'm done."

Danny pretended to pout, "Fine, but you owe me big time for this."

"Correction," the red headed young woman said, "you owe _me_ big time for this."

Man, did Danny hate it when Jazz was right. Oh well, at least she was going to talk to them. Danny walked out of the library in considerably better spirits than he arrived.

Jazz took a deep breath before entering her home. She had just seen Danny flying overhead in the opposite direction and knew that he would be no help.

Despite contrary belief, Jazz was actually truly nervous about talking with her parents about her little brother. This conversation could determine the outcome of their whole future, so she had to word this just right.

She slowly opened the front door and waited for the mandatory creak. Once she heard it she continued in opening the door. From the doorway she could see her parents sitting at the worn kitchen table.

They were discussing something in low voices as Jack fiddled with the Fenton Ghost Bazooka.

_Well, at least they aren't in the lab._

Jazz took slow, cautious steps into the kitchen. She cleared her throat which caused the two adult to look up. For a moment Maddie's expression lightened until she saw that it was not her son.

"Jazzy-pants?" her father asked, surprised, "I thought you were at the library. Where's Danny?"

Jazz gulped. This was the moment, "Danny wanted me to talk to you."

"You mean you knew?" Jack voiced his question.

Jazz tapped her foot impatiently, "Yes, I knew. He sent me because he was afraid."

The ghost hunters looked confused. "But….why?" Maddie wondered.

Jazz flared up. It was unusual for her to get so upset, but when it came to her brother and his future she was all game and no play. "Why? You're ghost hunters for crying out loud! Of course Danny was scared and didn't want to face you."

Maddie's face cleared of all confusion, but underlining her mask there was just a touch of fear and uncertainty. Jack was the same way, "Jazzy, we love your brother even if he is a ghost. All we want to know is why he did all those bad things."

In a snap Jazz was back to her cheery self, "Oh, well first of all: Danny's not dead. Well, at least not all the way." Seeing her parents' confusion, Jazz swiftly continued, "Don't get me wrong, I don't know much about this. For the whole story you will have to ask Sam, Danny, or Tucker. I just found out later on.

"If I am correct in this assumption then Danny is only half dead. In other words a half ghost."

"How is that even possible?" Maddie interrupted.

Jazz shrugged, "You will have to ask Danny. As for all the bad things he did, well, all I can tell you is that he didn't do anything on purpose. You need to just ask him."

Jack and Maddie looked eager. "Can we talk to him now?" Jack boomed.

"Now, Jack," Maddie said patiently, "we have to wait for him to be ready. Here, sweety, have a cookie." The woman handed her husband a chocolate treat.

"Thanks, Mads!" The man responded, back to his usual demeanor.

Jazz rolled her eyes at her father's childish behavior, and continued speaking, "Yes, I suppose that now would be best. I'll give Danny a call, but I don't know how long he will be. He could be in Canada by now for all I know."

Ignoring her parents' befuddled looks, the young woman pulled out her cell phone and dialed the familiar number (555-1221).

After a few rings and Jack's begging for another cookie, her brother finally picked up, "Hello? Hey, little brother, this is Jazz. Could you come home now?"

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**That number is Danny's actually cell number. *nods* Yep, it's also his home number and Vlad's number. Please press the pretty little button. It's lonely **

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	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, I know it's short, but I couldn't think where else I could end it. Ugh, I am not happy right now because apparently my keyboard developed a mind of it's own and decided to write this chapter for me. Now my whole story is thrown of track and I have no idead how or where it while end. Oh well, I hope you liked this chapter and I tried my best to added more detail.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Danny Phantom then it would still be up and running.**

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Chapter 5

Danny had almost forgotten that just a few hours ago his parents had found out his deepest secret. His ghostly glow allowed him to be visible from the ground as he lazily did loops and twists through the night sky. Anybody could see that he was having a good time. He hadn't come across any ghost since that morning.

The peaceful smile on his face was soon gone as he heard his cell phone ring. He gave a sigh of annoyance as he slowly descended into a dark alley. After spotting the caller ID he sighed again.

"Yes, Jazz?" He asked his toxic green eyes the only light in the darkness.

"_Hello? Hey, little brother, this is Jazz. Could you come home now?"_ Danny heard the annoying voice of his older sister from the other end.

Danny tapped his foot impatiently, "Did you talk to them yet? Are they still going to kill me?"

Jazz gave a little chuckle. She immediately stopped when she realized that the teenager was being completely serious. _"Yes, Danny, I talked to them. They just want to talk to you. I told them that you would tell them your story. So, no, they do not want to shoot you."_

"Do I have to?" Danny whined.

Jazz's face light up with a grin as she imagined how Danny's expression must have looked at that moment.

"_Yes, you have to,"_ Jazz confirmed.

"Damn," the snow white haired teen muttered under his breath.

"_Daniel,"_ Jazz scolded, _"Language!"_

Danny rolled his eyes at her statement, "Give me ten minutes. I'm going to walk."

The ghost teen then hung up his battered phone, and put it in the pocket of his black and white jumpsuit. He searched within himself for the ball of warmth in his center that allowed him to access his humanity. He tapped into it, and brilliant white rings appeared at his middle. He shivered involuntarily as warmth settled over his normally cold ghost form. He watched with interest as the rings traveled in opposite directions: one towards his boot-clad feet and the other towards his head. Right as the top ring was about to pass his infamous emblem two Guys in White officers burst around the corner, guns blazing.

Later, the two officers might have argued that they had seen jeans and a t-shirt peeking out from in between the two blinding rings if not for the horrible accident that was soon to befall upon them.

As quickly as the rings around the ghost boy's waist had appeared they were gone. Operatives K and O blinked in confusion before the former spoke.

"Danny Phantom, you are under arrest for destruction of property and existing. We have also been informed that you are not fully ghost."

"Which leads us to believe," O continued with a grim face as Danny tried to get his thoughts back. The poor boy had backed up against a wall and was too frightened to remember that he had the ability to phase through objects. "that you are a part human residing in Amity Park."

By the end of the man's sentence Danny had gotten his head screwed on tight enough to respond, "Wait…what? Who told you that?"

"We are not permitted to tell you that Mayor Masters informed us of your half-ghost status." K said in a very official, and honest-to-God, boring voice.

Danny let out a surprised laugh. "Wh-what? Has that cheese head lost his mind?" The ghost child asked rhetorically.

"I mean, you two do know that he's half ghost, right?"

"Affirmative," one of the two buffoons confirmed, "We are completely on his side considering all the good he has done for Amity Park." "

"And also because the large wad of cash with our names on it." the other GIW agent added.

"Okay, this is not good." Danny said to himself out loud. The snow haired ghost turned to the two men, "Hey, guys, why don't you tell Vlad that you vaporized me and go straight to enjoying your money?"

"Negative," O said in his monotone.

"We are going to have to take you in, Phantom," the other finished.

_Oh, crap._

end

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**I want at least five reviews before I put out the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, look I'm not dead! Sorry I took so long to update. Ugh, I was hoping that this chapter would be a lot longer. I'm sorry if this chapter is a total fail and feel free to flame me on it.**

**Disclaimer: Sorry, I'm only borrowing Danny for the time being. And keeping him tied up in my closet. :)**

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Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Okay, just for the record, what happened next was not Danny's fault. Well…….not completely.

After K finished speaking the two men charged at the 16-year-old. Danny, now on his knees, scrambled up and dived to the side. In his haste Danny accidentally shot a glowing green ecto blast at the officers.

Fortunately, or unfortunately if that's how you want to view it, the neon green ball of energy arched over the men's heads. Maybe if they had not stopped to watch the shot in its path they might have been safe.

Alas, they watched the beautifully gleaming ball of light burn a trail through the cool night air. It hit the wall of the building they were now standing in front of. An ear splitting _crack! _resounded around the alley and the three men looked up as one to watch, to their horror, a piece of the wall break off.

Graffiti covered bricks rained down on the two operatives' heads. One large clay colored brick hit the light skinned officers over the head and his legs crumpled beneath him. The second man soon followed him.

Danny Phantom stood back to the side as the show went on. He couldn't believe what he had just let happen. For a moment he had actually believed that this was for the best. When they woke up it was likely that they wouldn't even remember this encounter. Even if they did they would have just been told that they might be losing their grip. The same would probably go for them knowing about Vlad being Plasmius. Danny dropped to his knees and hung his head in his hands. He could have gotten them away before they had gotten hurt. Why didn't he? Is he going bad? It's not as if he killed anyone, but he still didn't help out, that's for sure. What's happening to him? Next you know he'll be robbing banks or...or…no, he was throwing this way out of proportion. He's not going to go all homicidal. He would make sure of it. He took a moment to fulfill his daily dose of self loathing before rising to his feet.

He took agonizingly slow steps to where the two Guys in White men lay unconscious on the rubble strewn ground. He reached into one of the now mud flecked white coats and pulled out a worn cell phone. He quickly dialed 911 before dumping the small object into one of the overflowing trash bins. He stooped to one knee before pushing off and lifting into the sky. He spared one last glance back at the unconscious duo before zooming away.

What's done is done and there's no going back.

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**I know this was probably a waste of your time but.....**

**R&R?**


	7. Chapter 7 The End

**Alright folks, this is the last chapter. I could possibly do a sequal if you want, but it wouldn't be for a long time. I wasn't very impressed with the end of this story, but who ever really does like their own stories? I've had a lot of fun writing this, but I am happy that I've finished. Whether it's good or not I don't care, I'm just happy that I actually finished a multi cahpter fic. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I suppose now might be a good time to tell you that I don't own Danny Phantom even though I really want to.**

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**Chapter 7**

Danny sat on the roof watching the scene below for a few minutes. The police had arrived at the alleyway a few moments ago, and were scratching their heads in confusion for a moment at what had happened. The building on the right side of the alley had taken some considerable damage from the echo blast, but fortunately it was already condemned and would soon be torn down. It calmed Danny slightly to know that he hadn't harmed anyone's home. The teen stood as the Guys in White were loaded into an ambulance, not wanting to see anymore. He glanced over at the scene below before pushing off the roof and flying away.

Danny flew over the streets of Amity Park, not in the mood to do tricks or goof off. He was too distracted at the thought of what lied ahead of him. In fact, if a ghost flew past him wearing a rainbow colored tutu and riding on a pink flamingo named Joe Danny might not have even notice. That or question his sanity even more. His thoughts were mainly hovering somewhere around how bad this day had gone. Shouldn't there be a limit to how stressed out and upset you can get in a day? First, his parents found out his long kept secret, and then he almost killed someone! Yeah, that's bound to make someone happy about their life. Because he was so focused on wallowing in his misery, Danny came to his house sooner than expected.

He dropped to the ground at the side of the house with no windows so that he could change without being spied on. Once again he closed his eyes and wrapped ghostly cold fingers around that part of himself that was still warm. For a moment he panicked, was the light that was his humanity flickering slightly? Shaking his head at his paranoia he crushed the ball of energy between his (metaphorical) fingers and let the rush of red blood surge through his veins. His heart picked up speed from the slow _thump, thump_ of his ghost half to a normal human rate. That was one thing that he was relieved about when he started learning more about his ghostly counterpart. His heart didn't stop beating and he still had to breathe. Everything just slowed down considerably.

The glowing, white rings traveled along his body, and he opened his eyes. Now that he was human again he realized how cold it had become. How late was it? Danny looked up in the sky to see a pale half moon hanging by a string high above him. At one point in time he would have given anything to go see the moon up close and personal, and he still wanted to, but right now he was just focusing on not flunking out of high school. Of course, he still knew everything there was to know about the night sky, but that wouldn't help him at all if he couldn't get into a good college. But, then again, what about Amity Park? He couldn't just leave them without their protector. Sure, Valerie was talented, but she couldn't see past her blinding hatred to learn something about her enemies. No, Danny had a feeling that he would never be able to leave Amity Park. The thought darkened his soaked mood slightly more. At this point if he had any more rain on his parade he was going to drown.

Danny silently walked around the house and up the stairs. He tried to turn the knob but it was locked. He again wondered what time it was and how long he had been out. The teen braced himself for what he would find inside before turning intangible, and moving through the door. The first thing that he noticed was a framed family photo from a few years before. They had all looked so happy. That had been before he had gotten his powers, of course.

Danny leaned his back against the hard wood of the door for a moment, and just breathed.

_In_

_Out_

_In_

_Out_

_Alright, _he thought, _let's get this over with._

Danny moved ahead, just focusing on getting one foot in front of the other. At that moment the walk to the kitchen seemed unbearably long. From the kitchen came the sound of quiet – yet nervous – chatter. Danny flinched when a floorboard squeaked beneath his silent footsteps. The talking in the kitchen silenced, and was replaced with the scrape of a chair against the floor. The teen stopped and held his breath as hurried footsteps moved to the door separating him and the kitchen. There was a pause before the person on the other side flung open the door.

Danny took an involuntary step back when he saw his parents and sister standing in the doorway before straightening himself. Jazz threw herself into his arms, and whispered reassurances in his ear. Danny relaxed into her grip, and put his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on her head. He frowned as he studied his parents' expressions. They didn't seem angry or anything. No, it was much worse. They seemed almost _afraid. _Afraid of their own son. It was heartbreaking.

After a moment, Jazz released her little brother. She stood back and looked expectantly at her parents, and then at Danny. Jack was, surprisingly, the first to understand, and moved forward to hesitantly embrace his son. Maddie followed not long after. Danny stiffened ever so slightly in their hugs, but if they noticed they didn't say anything. The two older Fentons rocked their son back and forth, oblivious to his discomfort. After a moment, they stood back, and Jack held his son at arm's length.

"Look at you," the man said, "My own son, a hero."

Danny could see the fear.

"We're so proud of you, honey," his mother muttered, wiping away a tear.

Danny noticed that the "honey" was slightly forced.

The ghost hunters hugged the ghost child again. Maddie ran her hand through her son's raven locks, and whispered, "It will all be alright now. We love you."

Despite his smile and nod, Danny could sense the lies.

The End

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**I really do hope that you enjoyed this. Please review whether you liked it or not!**


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